ˈspeʃəl adj. & n. --adj. 1 a
particularly good;
exceptional;
out of
the ordinary (bought
them a special present;
took special trouble). b
peculiar;
specific;
not general (lacks the special qualities required; the
word has a special sense). 2
for a
particular purpose (sent on a special assignment). 3 in
which a
person specializes (statistics is
his special field). 4 denoting
education for
children with particular
needs, e.g. the
handicapped. --n. a special person or
thing, e.g. a special
constable,
train,
examination,
edition of a
newspaper,
dish on a
menu, etc. øspecial
area Brit. a
district for which special
economic provision is
made in
legislation. Special
Branch (in the UK) a
police department dealing with
political security. special case 1 a
written statement of
fact presented by litigants to a
court. 2 an exceptional or
unusual case. special constable Brit. a
policeman sworn in to
assist in times of
emergency etc. special
correspondent a
journalist writing for a newspaper on special events or a special area of
interest. special
delivery a delivery of mail in
advance of the
regular delivery. special
drawing rights the
right to
purchase extra foreign currency from the
International Monetary Fund. special edition an extra edition of a newspaper including later
news than the ordinary edition. special effects
scenic illusions created by props
and camera-work. special
intention see INTENTION. special
jury a jury with members of a particular
social standing (cf.
common jury). special
licence Brit. a
marriage licence allowing
immediate marriage
without banns, or at an unusual
time or
place. special
pleading 1
Law pleading with
reference to
new facts in a case. 2 a
specious or
unfair argument favouring the speaker's
point of
view. special
verdict Law a verdict stating the facts as proved but leaving the court to
draw conclusions from them. øøspecially adv. specialness n. [ME f. OF
especial ESPECIAL or L specialis (as SPECIES)]
